British Isles

Abraham OrtelliusOn May 20, 1570, Gilles Coppens de Diest at Antwerp issued the first modern atlas, Ortelius’ Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, a collection of 53 uniform map sheets and sustaining text bound to form a book for which copper printing plates were specifically engraved. The Ortelius atlas is sometimes referred to as the summary of sixteenth-century cartography. Many of his atlas’s maps were based upon sources that no longer exist or are extremely rare. More than an original concept, the Theatrum was also the most authoritative and successful such work during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.

Note: North is to the right. This map looks a little odd for our modern eyes. You will note that the British Isles appear to be sideways. This was designed at a time in history when the Pope was still the master of the Western Universe and the Holy Roman Empire. The entire world revolved around the Pope (or so he liked to think) and in this particular Atlas, we see that the Pope has literally changed the direction of North on the map so that the world can literally revolve around him. Thus why you will note that North is to the right.